Germany's Riesch wins Olympic slalom, 2nd gold

Germany's Maria Riesch has become the first alpine skier at the Vancouver Olympics to win two gold medals after taking today's women's slalom.

She had a two-run total of 1 minute, 42.89 seconds to put her .43 seconds ahead of Austria's Maria Schild, who was third after the first run and moved up with a strong second race. Sarka Zahrobska of the Czech Republic, second after one, slipped to third place.

Riesch previously won the gold medal in the super combined event.

The U.S. was shut out of medals. Lindsey Vonn failed to finish the first run, and Sarah Schleper dropped from ninth to 16th in the second run.

Update, 5:34 p.m. ET: The USA's Hailey Duke has finished the second run and is in 30th position, 5.80 seconds off the lead. Teammate Megan McJames fell out of the course and did not finish in her second run.

Earlier:

The second, and final, run of the women's Olympic slalom event is underway under steady snowfall. The top 30 are starting first, in reverse order of their finish in the first run. That means Germany's Maris Riesch, holding a .40-second lead, starts 30th. There are 70 racers scheduled. Sarah Schleper is in ninth position, the highest-standing U.S. racer. Lindsey Vonn missed a gate in the first run and is out. Follow along for updates.

Update, 5:10 p.m. ET: Maria Riesch of Germany is virtually assured the gold, her second of the Games, after finishing the second slalom run and posting the best combined time of 1:42.89. That's .43 seconds ahead of second-place Maria Schild, also of Austria. With only the slower skiers from the first run - finishers 31 to 70 - yet to start, Riesch's lead is nearly impossible to overcome.

Update, 5:06 p.m. ET: Maria Schild of Austria moves from third to second. Sarka Zahrobska of the Czech Republic is behind her.

Update, 5:03 p.m. ET: Susaanne Riesch, younger sister of leader Marie, skied out of the course. Top three left.

Update, 5:00 p.m. ET: Down to the top 5 from the morning run getting ready to start.

Update, 4:57 p.m. ET: Sarah Schleper of the U.S. can't move up and finishes with a combined time of 1:45.88 to remain in the ninth spot. Schleper started well, smoothly picking off the gates and having the fastest first intermediate time. But she slid a bit out of a gate and slowed over the bottom portion.

Update, 4:52 p.m. ET: The top 10 finishers from the morning run, including USA's Sarah Schleper, are coming up now.

Update, 4:48 p.m. ET: We're in the top 15 finishers from the first run. Elisabeth Goegl still tops.

Update, 4:44 p.m. ET: Anja Paerson of Norway won't become the first woman racer to win three Olympic medals in a single alpine event. She went off course and DQed. Paerson had won medals in the 2002 (bronze) and 2006 (gold) slalom events.

Update, 4:40 p.m. ET: Through 10 racers, Elisabeth Goergl of Austria is in the lead. The top 20 racers from the morning run are still to come.

Update, 4:35 p.m. ET: Course apparently is faster. Denise Karbon of Italy, fourth out of gate, took lead with better time than first run. Total two-run time is 1 minute, 45.94 seconds.

Update, 4:30 p.m. ET: First runner has finished, Marina Nigg of Liechtenstein. Her second-run time was 53.05 seconds, a bit faster than her first run. We'll see if the speed holds up.

Earlier: The first run of the women's slalom has ended with the USA's Lindsey Vonn out of the race and German Maria Riesch seeking her second gold medal. The second, and concluding run, will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Vonn, who already had a gold and bronze in these Games, straddled a gate midway down the first run to disqualify. Plagued by injuries, including a broken pinkie finger, it was the third event in which she did not finish at the Olympics.

Meanwhile, Vonn's friend, Riesch, has a .40-second lead over Sarka Zahrobska of the Czech Repubic going into the second run. Marlies Schild of Austria is third, .65 seconds off the lead. Riesch, who completed the 62-gate first run in 50.75 seconds, won the gold medal in the super combined event. She is the top-ranked slalom specialist on the World Cup circuit.

Norway's Anja Paerson entered the race with a chance to make history by becoming the first woman racer to win three Olympic medals in a single alpine skiing event, having won medals in the 2002 and 2006 Games. But she'll have a tough time doing it this afternoon. She is in 20th place, 1.53 seconds out of third place.

Sarah Schleper is in ninth place, the highest-ranked U.S. skier after the first run. She's 1.08 seconds behind Riesch. The final two U.S. skiers - Hailey Duke and Megan McJames - are 32nd and 35th, respectively.

Follow along for updates when the second run begins.

Earlier: Lindsay Vonn's hopes for a third medal dissolved when she straddled a gate in the middle of her first run in the women's slalom today, the final event of the Olympics for women's alpine competition.

Although she trailed the lead time by .44 seconds at the first intermediate point, Vonn seemed to be skiing aggressively despite racing with a broken pinky finger on her right hand that was in a brace to protect it. Then, in midcourse, she entered a series of gates and straddled one, a disqualification for failing to complete the turn.

Coming into the Olympics with high hopes but also a bruised shin that threatened her ability to race, Vonn leaves with two medals (gold in the downhill and bronze in the Super-G) and three did-not-finishes.

Follow along for updates as the race continues, with Maria Riesch of Austria, who is also a good friend of Vonn, holding the lead with a time of 50.75 seconds. That's .44 seconds better than second-place Sarka Zahrobska of the Czech Republic.

Update, 1:50 p.m. ET: The final two U.S. skiers in the race have completed the course. Hailey Duke finished in 54.02 seconds, 3.27 off the lead, and Megan McJames ended in 54.41, 3.66 off the top spot. Maria Riesch is virtually assured of going into the afternoon (PT) race with the lead.

Update, 1:38 p.m. ET: Sarah Schleper is the second U.S. skier to race. She completes the course in 51.83 seconds, which is 1.08 seconds off Riesch's lead.

Earlier: The USA's Lindsey Vonn, with her broken right pinky in a brace that will protect it when she bangs her hand into slalom gates while racing, seeks a third Olympic medal today in the women's slalom, the concluding event for the women's alpine competition. Vonn, who ranks 13th in World Cup slalom rankings, starts 10th. She won a gold medal in the downhill and a bronze in the Super-G but injured her hand in a crash in the giant slalom. Meanwhile, Norway's Anja Paerson, looks to become the first woman to win three Olympic medals in a single alpine skiing event. She medaled in the slalom in 2002 and 2006. She is tied with 18 others in having won two medals in a single event. The GS is contested over two races. The first has begun; the second starts at 4 :30 p.m. ET. Follow along for regular updates.

Update, 1:2o: p.m. ET: Paerson faltered on her run, completing the 61 turns in 52.92 seconds, which is 2.18 seconds off the lead set by Germany's Maria Riesch. That's a lot of time to make up in the second race.

Update, 1:12 p.m. ET: Vonn misses a gate and is out of the race. She was racing well in falling snow but at midcourse, she couldn't complete a turn and straddled the gate. Vonn ends her Olympic run with two medals and three DNFs in five races.

Update, 1:10 p.m. ET: Vonn up next.

Update, 1:04 p.m. ET: Through the first five racers, all among the top 10 on the World Cup slalom circuit, Germany's Maria Riesch, fifth out of the gate, has the lead in 50.75 seconds. Zabrobska is just behind.

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